Posted by Ensign Issac Forgrave (Security Officer) in Commotion in the Holodeck (tag Security)

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Commotion in the Holodeck (tag Security)

Posted by Ensign Issac Forgrave (Security Officer) in Commotion in the Holodeck (tag Security)
Posted by… suppressed (18) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
Issac let the Chief lead; taking a moment to fire off a few poorly-aimed shots in the general direction of the unseen creature. Maybe they’d slow it down.

Quickly, he followed after Holloway - she seemed to have recovered rapidly from her fall. Keeping pace, he stayed behind the Chief by a few meters, with the goal of providing cover with the sole flashlight. “What are these things?!” he yelled out; hoping for an answer.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

One thing was certain – Holloway ran fast. Her feet seemed to be able to predict exactly when protruding tree roots and other obstacles would appear in their path in order to avoid them. It was almost as if the environment itself was second nature to her.

“Training creatures.” Molly replied over her shoulder as she ran. “Made out of a mix of features from species in the computer’s database.”

“What the frak?” Issac asked, mostly to himself. “Nothing I’ve heard of in training!” He tried picking up his pace, but to no avail - he just didn’t know the terrain; and cliche or otherwise, a twisted ankle could have disastrous consequences.

As the steps grew closer and the growls grew louder, Holloway caught something in the corner of her eye. The creature. On all fours, it was catching up to them, almost running by their side through the trees. “On your right!” She yelled at Forgrave as she pointed her phaser and shot. The energy beam of the shots that hit the target seemed to push the creature to the side, but not enough to make it lose its balance or stray it from their path.

At the Chief’s warning, Issac tried to turn and face the threat; but his feet got tangled in the dense undergrowth. He used the creature’s distraction to get his feet cleared, but he had lost his momentum. What the HELL have I gotten myself into…

Looking ahead through the tree trunks, it was now more obvious that a clearing lay ahead. If only they could outrun the creature. As Molly increased her speed leaving the creature slightly behind, it didn’t go unnoticed to her that there was only one chasing them, but she shrugged her miscount as lack of practice.

Behind the Intel Chief, Forgrave would be able to notice Holloway’s increase in pace, the creature in and out of sight on their right side, parallel to them, until he couldn’t see it anymore. It was then, after a few moments, that he would feel the quick thumping of steps behind him, and a sudden weight on his back that sent him flying forwards.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Ensign Forgrave landed hard on his shoulder; barely managing to keep hold of his light and phaser. He grunted heavily with the impact; there was a new, sharp pain in his ribs that worried him. But no time for that now. For the second time in as many minutes, Issac rolled and scrambled on the ground, hoping to gain distance.

On his back now, he held his left fist close to his chest, flashlight lit and blazing up in the direction of his attacker. His right arm thrust his phaser forwards, thumb mashing the power to max before firing. Maybe he could buy enough distance and time to start running again.

The moment the light shone in the creature’s face, it produced a loud squeal, much akin to the ones produced by pigs in the centuries old pig slaughters found on some regions of Earth. It retreated, trying to put as much distance as possible between itself and the light. And then the phaser fired. The creature fell silent for a moment. If there were any distinctive features on its face, it would show confusion and surprise. Without warning, it vanished, the energy it was composed of sucked back into the holodeck’s grid.

Issac let his arms fall back, allowing himself a moment of relaxation. He rolled over into a kneeling position, taking shallow breaths and clutching his ribs in pain.

Running towards the Ensign, Molly was baffled. “Are you okay?” She said helping Forgrave out to his feet. “What did you do? What setting did you have your phaser on? I’ve been using this program for eight years and this had never happened before!” Although to be fair, she had never tried to hack her own security codes before, which was technically what she had tried to do that night, so everything was a bit wonky. But as far as she was concerned, Security didn’t need to know that part.

“Gah!” Frograve gave out a sharp grunt when helped to his feet - “I’m… eh, I’m alright. For now. Ribs hurt. I can move.” His strained voice and tensed posture suggested he was hurting more than he was willing to admit. “Phaser on max. Sixteen.” Issac was taking short, careful breaths, trying not to bother his aching ribs. Damn; hope they aren’t broken… “Light might’ev… Softened ‘em up.”
“Lets move.”

Molly’s the Ensign suspiciously. She could recognize broken ribs, or at least severely bruised ones, when she saw them, and Forgrave’s current behavior seemed to fit right in the description.

Ne Jo’han was caught off-guard by the creature’s reaction; or lack therov. He managed to hold still upon realization the creature was blind; but it was a struggle. This thing was nothing he recognized, and his phaser was not having the desired effect. Mentally crossing his fingers, he carefully thumbed his phaser to max, and drew a firm bead on the monster’s head. He hoped that might kill it; or at least have some effect.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Deeper in the rainforest, a pained squeal echoed through the trees, distracting the creature on NE Jo’han’s aim. As the phaser’s energy beam hit the back of its head, the creature turned again in the direction of the Security Ensign. For a moment it seemed… hurt? Jo’han would be able to see a distinct burn mark on its skin where the beam had landed.

Slowly, the massive creature placed a hand on the back of its head as if trying to check the wound. Unexpectedly, it lost its balance, falling down. It weight causing the ground around it to shake slightly. There was no telling whether it was dead or just unconscious.

Ne Jo’han let out a shuddering sigh of relief; he didn’t know what he would have done had that not worked. Not willing to take any chances, he fired into the fallen creature several more times until it vanished, dismissed by the holodeck program. In the new silence, he thought he heard some quiet voices - not having any other ideas, he set off to hopefully meet up with Forgrave. Was that a clearing off in the distance?

The one extra shot was enough to make the creature vanish. With it gone, the only remaining sounds were those of the birds and insects so common in a rainforest. Within the dark stretch of trees NE Jo’han was on, it would not be hard to find the path that led to the clearing.

As the low grumble caused by the second creature’s fall reached Holloway and Forgrave, the Intel Chief seemed apprehensive. “Come on.” Molly said to the Security officer. “Let’s get to the clearing before we have any more unexpected surprises. I don’t want to spend the rest of the night in sickbay.”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

“Yeah.” Issac nodded firmly - if the clearing was supposed to be a safe area, he wanted to be there ASAP. His ribs were screaming in pain, and he stepped with care; not wanting to jostle them unnecessarily. Using this program for eight years, eh? So why ain’t it listenin’ to ya all of a sudden? His mind raced around, asking questions in an effort to distract from the pain in his side. Been up all night, broken holodeck, she supposedly knows this program. Someone else sabotage it? Possible; but why no sleep? She’s on first shift; unlikely to be trading sleep for training. Did she break the holodeck? Why.... Restricted program? And what was that intruder alert about… Too many questions. Need answers. Issac’s face firmed - something was suspicious here; and he wanted to know more. Being that the person involved was the Chief Intelligence Officer, he knew he needed to be careful. Maybe he could use his ‘fresh out of academy’ status to his advantage…

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Without further encounters, it didn’t take long for the officers to find their way back to the clearing Molly had come from. The Klingons were gone and so were their party hats and sashes. For the first time since Holloway had set foot on the holodeck that night, the jungle actually seemed undisturbed.

The sun shone brightly sitting high in the cloudless blue sky, the birds chirped happily within the trees, and the constant buzz of thousands of tiny little insects set the background. A cool breeze made the place a little more comfortable.

And yet, to make sure the current occupants of the space knew something was going on, there was a lone restaurant booth, complete with a table, sitting in the middle of the space. Both pieces were well worn. The table was made out of solid dark wood and the seats were lined in dark burgundy colored leather.

Pushing one of the seats away from the table, Molly helped Forgrave onto it. It was clear by her expression that the booth setup was not supposed to be there. Now… if only she could remember where the emergency medkit was…

“Ah, Thanks.” Issac sighed with relief upon sitting, and quickly found a position that was less painful on his ribs. As he let himself relax, he could feel the adrenaline slowly leaving his system.

“Computer, arch!” Holloway barked at the space surrounding them, but no luck. Yet again. She sighed. No arch, meant no door, meant no exit. For the first time that evening a thought settled onto her mind. Were they stuck in the holodeck?

“Yeah, first thing I did was try to end the simulation. No such luck, I suppose. Heh, indicator of things to come.” Issac said the last with a wry grin.

Defeated, Molly turned back and sat down on the only other available seat. “At this point I don’t think the holodeck is responding to any commands at all. My guess is that it is processing something and we might just have to give it time. Hopefully it will catch up before Alpha shift starts. I’d hate to have to explain to both Harris and Manning how we ended up here.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “How are you feeling?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

“Hopefully.” A concerned look came over Issac’s face - “You seem to know this place; we safe here? Need to worry about more of those things sneaking up on us?”

“I’m....” Issac looked off to the side, not willing to admit to his injury. Hell, nothing gained from pride. “Not great, ma’am. Pretty sure I got some broken ribs. Got hit worse than I thought. Not bad just settin’ here, but…” He let the sentence trail off. “Wouldn’t be excited about running right now, that’s for sure.” Issac let out an amused snort at his ‘joke,’ cutting it short with a wince as it jostled his ribs.

There was a worried look in Holloway’s face. She had far more experience with broken ribs than she cared to admit… and from far too early on too. Not to mention, if Forgrave was injured, medical would want to know what happened. Molly sighed before standing and pressing her commbadge.

=/\= Holloway to Transporter Room 1. Transporter Room 1, do you copy? =/\=

But no response came. Holloway groaned in frustration. “I’m really sorry. You should never have been here in the first place…” She paced for a while before sitting down, analyzing their current situation.

Issac took some time to think to himself about the current situation, and what might have lead to it. When he first joined up with the academy, he did a lot of research in his free time regarding some of the current technologies; in particular, he had looked into transporter and replicator tech. He had found that they were extremely reliable, with almost a perfect track record. Statistically, they were safer than doorways; to say the least of stairs. Most tech used on warships had similar reliability records. Including holodecks…
So… Holloway here looks like she’s been up for the past 24 hours; or at least the bags under her eyes say so. It’s damned unlikely that this holodeck malfunctioned ~just because~. We got an intruder alert from a console. No-one else but the Chief was present in the holodeck. Add to that she seems familiar with this program - she knows the area, and the creatures. Hmmm. Theory A: someone buggered with the holodeck; trying to scare or harm the Chief when this program was activated with her as the sole participant. But if I did that, I’d be damn sure to lock out the console, so NO alerts could be sent. And still doesn’t explain her bein’ here all night. Though to be fair, nothing says she was HERE all night. Theory B: Holloway was mucking on the console all night, tripped the alert, and got the computer all fragged up. But why would she be tooling on it? Making a new program? This program don’t seem foreign to her… Hell, what’d she say earlier… eight years… So it probably ain’t that she was making a NEW program… Hmmm.

Issac shifted in the booth, eventually sitting sideways and propping his feet up on the bench, his back in the corner. “Ended up here ‘cause of a Security alert; Intruder, to be specific. Don’t really seem to be the case, ‘less I missed something.” He lazily glanced over at the Chief, gauging her response.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Molly shook her head. “I have no idea what happened.” For the most part, it was true. “I never intended on sending it out. Actually… I don’t even know how it got sent out in the first place. The Dresden’s main computer should know that I was the only person in the room, as it can identify both my biosigns and my commbadge. My guess is that it merged instructions together and got confused.” It was clear that Holloway’s knowledge of holodeck programing was not the best, to say the least. “All I can say is that I am happy that it wasn’t a ship wide alert or I would be in very hot waters…” She shot the Security officer an embarrassed smile.

So she was at the console… Doing what? “Yeah, computer didn’t register any intruders, least no foreign bio-signs. Still, procedure calls for investigate and follow-up; ‘case a mistake was made somewheres. And the alert just went to the Security console - iffin’ I hadn’t responded, it would’ve jumped up to ship-wide. Granted, you’d-a been responsible fer disturbing your crew-mate’s beauty sleep, but Chief’s been talking about running a drill sometime soon anyways. Ya mighta’ had some luck sweet-talking the XO and getting off light.” Issac Grinned, but held back a chuckle.

Molly’s smile turned into one that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“By the way, I realize this is not the best situation, but… you said your name was Forgrave, right?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

He nodded in reply - “Issac Forgrave, Ensign. Dresden’s my first posting outta academy, actually. Ain’t been here long, few months or so by now.” He paused. “Actually, that may be why I ain’t familiar with this program, actually. I ran through a bunch in training, but never saw anythin’ quite like this. Ya mentioned you’d been…” Issac took a moment, his face lost in thought and lips voicing unheard words in recollection. “Using this program for eight years; this had never happened before.”

“Molly Holloway, Captain.” Molly said in way of introduction, in the same way Forgrave had introduced himself, putting a soft emphasis on her rank. The previously apologetic tone suddenly turning dry.

Issac turned slightly, from a sideways position on the bench to one facing the Intelligence officer a bit more directly. “Least, think that’s what ya said. When ya were helpin’ me up earlier, I mean. Were those… creatures part of the program? Now, I’m assuming that the computer not listening sure ain’t part of it, nor bein’ stuck here.” A concerned look came over the Ensign’s face as he asked “Come to think of it, had ya been in here long by the time the alert got sent?”

“That is correct.” Molly said at the mention of her previous statement. “If I am being perfectly open with you, Ensign, it doesn’t really matters how long you’ve been on board. You are not familiar with this program because it’s mine, and I may not be well versed in holodeck programming, but I know a thing or two about making them… unavailable.” Her lips curled into a soft smirk.

“Ah, I suppose I was a bit… informal with ya, Captain. If ya’d care to, please chalk it up ta stress.” Issac grinned apologetically, making a vague gesture at his ribs. Unavailable… I wonder what she means by that? And she don’t seem to like these questions… hard to blame an intel officer for being cagey though. But is this just embarrassment, professional habit, or… was she not supposed to be here?

Meanwhile, NE Jo’han was having a bad day. He was notoriously bad at navigation, and knew it; along with the rest of the security team. Which is why he had readily agreed to stay put when Forgrave and he had entered the holodeck. But with the creature’s attack, he had gotten hopelessly lost and turned around. At one point he stumbled across a trail, but he suspected it was just leading him in circles. Once again, he contemplated retirement.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

In one of the many turns that NE Jo’han happened to take, something caught his eye. It was inconspicuous enough that it seemed like it might have been purposely blended with the background, but foreign enough for the Ensign to know that it was not supposed to be there. In one of the tree trunks, hidden behind some thick leaves was a small touch panel that Jo’han would recognize as one of the holodeck manual controls hidden within the environment.

Finally! Lets see what I can do here. NE Jo’han approached the panel, glancing around to make sure no more of those… things were in sight. He had a vested interest in avoiding them.

Before making Ensign, Jo’han had worked as a technician. He was by no means an imaginative person, but he followed orders and instructions well. He wanted to become an engineer, but his lack of creativity (and frankly, intelligence) stopped him. But he still remembered the diagnostic procedure for holodeck maintenance.

Alright, so… override command, base menu.... view all pending commands. NE Jo’han paged through the long list of pending ops, not really reading them - they were all in programming syntax anyways. Getting to the end of the list, he jumped to the next menu; Diagnostic control.

He thought carefully about what he wanted to do here; Lets see, if it’s misbehaving, lets uh, dump all the logs so the eggheads can see what happened....

He entered a few more queries and directions, and the console started dumping all the inputs and operations for the past 24 hours into Jo’han’s PADD. As that was happening, he started navigating the command tree to execute a hard reset.

Farther away, in the clearing, Molly was not very pleased by the Ensign’s constant questions. She had always felt more comfortable when she was the one doing the questioning, not the other way around. But for the sake of politeness – something that she had been approached about by Command in the past – she was willing to listen to them.

Sighing, her lips thinned slightly as she replied. “Yes. The creatures were part of it, just like a functional computer.” Molly said dryly. The last question though, was a standard security one, especially on an incident like the present one. If there was something that Holloway appreciated was someone that knew how to do their job. “I don’t know, to be honest…” Her features softened slightly as she pondered. “I don’t even know what time it is, let alone how long I was here for before all of this…” The setting, the loss of sense of time, the tiredness settling in… this was all starting to feel like the first test of her Intel training. For a moment, Holloway allowed her mind to drift back to those days without even realizing where she was.

Yawning, she shook her head before turning back to the Security officer. “Sorry… Long night…” As Molly looked at Forgrave, a thought made its way into her mind. “Now that you mention the intruder alert… When you came in… wasn’t there another officer that came with you? Where are they?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

More deflection.... Well, that’s… somewhat concerning, ma’am. Loss of time, that is.” Issac checked his wrist chrono; “It’s early, 0830 by ship time. I’d just gotten on-shift when the alert hit the console.”

“0830!?” Molly’s eyes widened in disbelief. Alpha shift started at 0800. Alpha shift… her shift… and she was not on the Bridge. Had she really stayed the whole night awake? Had she really been on the Holodeck the whole night? Looking around nervously, Holloway tried to hide the panic that flooded her mind.

Issac looked back to the Chief. “Ma’am, I must admit to having some… not insignificant concerns with this whole thing. If the holodeck is malfunctioning, Engineering definitely needs to take a close gander at it. Hopefully they’ll be able to recover the input logs, just in case there’s a bug or something; if somethin’ ya mighta entered in raised a conflict and that shorted the computer. Can’t be having no-one else in here goin’ through the same uh… experience. No tellin’ if they uh, they’d be as lucky as we was. Or, worst case scenario, there was some kinda sabotage. Easy to make this sorta thing look like an accident, and uh, leave someone trapped in here with no safeties. Don’t really think that’s likely, but…” Issac let the sentence trail off, letting his face and tone carry the genuine concern he felt.

“I’ll speak to the Chief Engineer.” Holloway said, only half paying attention. She seemed to be suddenly very interested in the trees around them. The words ‘input logs’ seemingly not even registering with Molly’s brain at the moment. “There was no sabotage. I’ll make sure it won’t happen again.” She said dryly. At this point, it was clear that Holloway was distracted.

I really don’t think sabotage is likely, but… it could be a possibility. I feel that I lucked out with just my ribs getting busted. If I hadn’t known about using a flashlight....

“I can assure you, Ensign. There was no sabotage. I would have known it when–” Molly stopped abruptly as she realized her actions did in fact qualify as sabotage, in a way. Her gaze turning back to Forgrave after a pause. “I would have noticed.” It wasn’t true, and given Forgrave’s Security background he would know as well as Holloway that if someone had purposely tampered with the Holodeck with malicious intent, they were either very bad at their job or whatever had been done wouldn’t be particularly obvious just by looking at a console. However, the Intel Chief seemed to be very certain that sabotage was not the issue.

At the mention of NE Jo’han, Issac jumped slightly in alarm, his face contorting in pain as his busted ribs made their presence known. “GAH!” He groaned, settling back down into the bench. “Ah hell, I am out of sorts. I left him by the entrance when we came in. Ain’t heard a scream, but I guess that don’t mean much.”

Holloway’s distracted and nervous attitude drained from her body, together with her blood. Her face grew paler (if that was even possible) making the freckles that covered the majority of her face stand out more than usual. If something had happened to the Ensign she would have much bigger problems to worry about than a malfunctioning holodeck and being late for her duty shift.

“How well can he get around in an environment like this?” Molly was immediately on her feet. Her eyes now focused on the darkness beyond the clearing.

“I’d sure like to think he can take care of himself, but… no telling, really. Here’s my flashlight if you feel he needs to be found; I’d go with ya, but…” Issac gestured to his ribs once again; his face twisted with frustration and a bit of anger. “Much as I hate to admit it, I ain’t good for much right now.”

Molly nodded, taking Forgrave’s flashlight, trying to locate the path they had just came from.

Meanwhile, NE Jo’han had staged the console to execute the holodeck reset, and the data dump to his PADD had completed.
Yes, I’m sure. Yes, purge all current commands. Yes, hard reset now. And with a nod to himself, his index finger mashed the ‘Execute’ button firmly.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

It was then that the unexpected happened.

The trees around them vanished, replaced by the yellow holodeck grid. The breeze stopped blowing, the birds stopped chirping… and the booth stopped existing. Table and benches gone in a blink, throwing Forgrave on the floor.

The furniture’s sudden disappearance caught Forgrave by surprise; but the sudden and vicious pain that shot through him from his side took all of his attention. The adrenaline that had been in his system from running and fighting earlier had long since dissipated, and his vision went dark as he tried to gasp for breath that wouldn’t come.
Issac’s unconscious form lay collapsed on the floor of the holodeck, his chest moving slightly with each breath.

On the far side of the Holodeck, NE Jo’han tweaked with a wall panel.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” Holloway’s words left her lips before she could stop them, running the few meters that separated them, not even noticing the injured Security officer she was leaving behind.

NE Jo’han had expected the sudden change in scenery with the reset, but hadn’t predicted the sudden appearance of the CIO yelling and running at him. The shorter Ensign leaping out of his own skin and falling down would have fit right in with the best of any classic slapstick comedy.

“Computer, status of program Wright Alpha 1.”

“Program Wright Alpha 1. Status: inactive.” Came the computer reply.

“Computer, run program Wright Alpha 1, difficulty level 6.” Holloway barked at the computer as she stopped next to NE Jo’han, glaring at him.

“Authorization code required.”

“Override, authorization Holloway-Gamma-6-2-5.” The computer beeped negatively. “Access denied.”

Molly sighed. She seemed to have gained access to the higher levels of her training program briefly. So, how come she couldn’t access them anymore? Suddenly, the realization dawned on her. Holloway’s eyes switched between Jo’han, the PaDD in his hand, and the wall console, before returning to the Ensign. She sighed again, clearly trying to control her own frustration. “Ensign Jo’han I presume?” Molly asked in feigned interest. “Did you, by any chance, reset the holodeck?” The smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes. “Also, if you don’t mind, I’ll keep that.” She said, holding out her hand for the NE to give her his PaDD.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

“Uh, Uh, Uh....” NE Jo’han gibbered uselessly for a moment, before taking a deep breath and collecting himself. Still lying on the ground, the confused man tried to parse the questions that had been fired off at him, his brain slowly playing catch-up.

Molly raised her eyebrows, waiting for the Ensign to say something. Her hand still outstretched towards the PaDD.

“Uh, yes Captain, I’m Ensign Jo’han.” The Ensign quickly rose back to his feet, taking a brief moment to brush himself off; despite there being no appreciable dirt or dust on his uniform.

Not being a new figure around the Dresden, NE Jo’han had a bit of a… reputation. Not bad, just… known. He was a smaller man; one of the smallest members of the Dresden’s Security Department; though he didn’t let that bother him. He was a very patient and single-minded person, making up in plodding tenacity and adherence to procedure for what he lacked in creativity and intelligence. He had no goals beyond the rank of Ensign, which he has held for the past three years. Despite his flaws, he is thought fondly of by most of the crew; as he manages to prove himself useful more often than not. Notably, he has received three verbal commendations for having perfect paperwork. He considers these the highlights of his career.

As Jo’han stood up Molly found herself in a situation she had rarely been in when it came to security personnel. For the first time she was looking down at someone and not up. Being one of the shortest people in the department had some pros, and it definitely had its cons, but given how used Holloway was to barking orders to people way taller than her, it felt slightly off.

Visibly running through the questions asked of him, NE Jo’han seemed to brighten considerably; “Oh; yes Ma’am! I did reset the holodeck!” Jo’han smiled massively, clearly proud of himself. “See, when we walked in here, uh ‘we’ being Ensign Forgrave and I; he asked the computer to end the simulation, but nothing happened. Well, then we split up, ‘cause we have to look around to clear the alert, you see. And I’m not the best at navigation, so I stayed where I was near the entry, but then I got attacked and turned around. Well, I got attacked by....” Jo’han screwed up his face in confusion. “Well, I don’t know what it was, but I hit it with my phaser until it disappeared, so because the computer still registered that I figured it was still sorta working.” He nodded to himself.

He really was clueless, wasn’t he? Molly wasn’t sure whether to be angry or to laugh as the Ensign told her the story that she partially already knew. Regardless of the situation, however, her frustrations were winning. Right now, Jo’han was wasting her time, and Holloway didn’t have time to waste.

NE Jo’han took a deep breath, utterly ignoring all else during the retelling of his story. “Well, after that I got lost, at least until I found the console. Now, I used to be a holodeck technician before I got bumped to ensign (another smile), and lucky for me I still remember the diagnostic and reset procedures! So, I went through them, just as I was taught years ago, when I was a technician you see; being right careful of course, and wouldn’t you know it, it worked like a charm!” Jo’han smiled again. “I was able to do a hard reset, and that almost always works to clear any malfunctions.”

Molly’s eyes were wide, and if looks could kill, NE Jo’han would be a smoking crater on the deck.

As the Ensign finally finished telling his story, he seemed to notice the Chief’s outstretched arm, indicating the PADD.

“Oh! Just one moment Ma’am; procedure says I’ve got to send this out right quick....” NE Jo’hand tapped at the screen as he spoke. “You know how it is; anytime a hard reset has to be done; or there’s a malfunction, the tech has to send in a report immediately. Safety of the crew and all that!”

With his last statement, several outcomes crossed Holloway’s mind. On the first, she grabbed the PaDD from his hand and smash it on his head. On the second, she broke it in half. On the third, she grabbed him by his collar, lifted him up against the wall, and told him exactly why he would never make it past Ensign. Focus, Holloway. Focus. Closing her eyes for a moment, Molly took a deep sigh. She was sure that with how oblivious to the world around him Jo’han seemed to be, he wouldn’t notice her stance anyway.

Finished, he offered the PADD to the Chief. “I may not be a technician anymore, but I won’t let anyone say I don’t do things properly and by the book!” He flashed another grin at Holloway.

Molly’s lips opened once again in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Only this time is was even more obvious than the one before. Snatching the PaDD from his hand, she gritted her teeth so as not to say anything that she would regret later. Or worse, that would get her on record. Bureaucrats. Holloway couldn’t stand them. She had met a few over the years, and one thing was certain – none of them ever went anywhere. There was a reason why at this guy’s age, Molly had already made at least to Lieutenant Commander.

Opening her mouth to finally speak, Jo’han spoke first, once again. Did he ever shut up?

Seeming to finally realize that the Chief was by herself, NE Jo’han asked in a concerned tone “Oh, have you seen Issac by chance? Those things were awful fierce; if anyone was injured because of a malfunction on the holodeck, then engineering would have to shut it all down while an investigation was done! I sure hope he’s alright; Have ya seen him?”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Holloway turned to face the direction she had come. With the now clear holodeck, it was easy to spot the prone figure not too far from them.

“Oh no!” Molly muttered under her breath before taking off towards the fallen Security officer. Her knees scraping the floor as she slid next to him.

Kneeling down, Holloway shook him slightly, mindful of his potentially broken ribs. “Forgrave. Forgrave, can you hear me?” Turning back to Jo’han, she could only hope he followed orders as well as he seemed to follow protocol. “Ensign, next the door console, behind one of the wall panels, there’s an emergency medkit. I need you to bring it to me. NOW.”

Holloway’s abrupt command, combined with the sight of his fellow officer lying prone, caused NE Jo’han to emit a noise that would be describable as a ‘squeak.’ “Yes Ma’am; Right away!” He rushed over to the aforementioned panel, retrieving the medkit.

As the Chief shook him gently, Issac stumbled back into consciousness. Alternating between uttering quiet groans and mumbling several inventive and foul curses, his eyes slowly opened as he came fully back to reality. “Ah, Sorry ma’am; that was a bit of a poor greetin’.” Issac visibly forced his face to a neutral expression, before continuing “Ah, give me a moment; I’ll be up.”

Turning back to Forgrave, Molly tapped her combadge. An option that had just popped in her head. =/\= Holloway to Reyes. Jersey I need your help in Holodeck 3. Quick. Medical emergency! =/\=

Capt. Holloway, CIO

OOC: At this point Molly would have requested an emergency site-to-site transport to Sickbay regardless of what repercussions she could face. However, given the amount of work our wonderful CMO already has on her plate, and given the fact that Cass is still keeping up with it even though she’s on LOA, I don’t want to overwork our good Doctor. :) That, of course, doesn’t mean this won’t move to sickbay at some point. – Joana

There was an unusual delay in the Marine Sargent’s response before Jersey’s voice popped over the Comms. =A= This is Jersey.... um… give me… 90 seconds. Reyes out=A=

As Holloway finished the comm-call to the sickbay, NE Jo’han returned with the medkit. He crouched down and ripped it open, saying “Here Ma’am.” After a pause, he asked “Uh, what happened to Forgrave? Was he attacked?”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

OOC: Sounds good!

The stern look was accompanied by a hand on Forgrave’s shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.” Molly said as the Security officer contemplated the possibility of getting up.

”…Kay.” Issac only resisted the hand momentarily, just a token effort before relaxing back down.

Ignoring Jo’han’s question, Holloway reached for the medkit, yanking the medical tricorder from inside of it. Opening it, she hovered the device over Forgrave, trying to identify the condition of his ribs. Like any other Starfleet officer, Molly knew basic first aid, but she didn’t know anything beyond that.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Suddenly, there was a shimmer of a Transporter Pattern by the arch leading into the corridor. As the shimmer stabilized, the image of Sgt. Brianna Reyes appeared… sneakers (no socks), a pair of SFMC sweat pants and a grey SFMC tanktop she was still pulling down over her midriff as the transport completed. Her hair was still damp and if anyone looked more than a second, it was clear she had just bolted from the shower.

Running the second her feet were on the deck, Jersey slid on her knees to the injured Ensign’s side. She already had a medical tricorder in hand and was evaluating his injuries. “Sir…” The young woman said in a stony, level-pitched voice. “… I’m Sgt. Reyes… Can you tell me where you’re hurting the most right now? We’ll work backwards from there.”

Reyes, CO’s Yeoman

Molly stood back to allow Jersey access to the injured officer. However, the fact that the usually cheerful Marine did not direct a single glance or a word in her direction told her that she was in trouble. If he happened to be paying attention, Forgrave would be able to notice the change in attitude of the otherwise stoic Intelligence officer.

It wasn’t difficult to identify his chief complaint at the moment. In a slightly strained but neutral voice, he gave a quick answer of “Ribs. Right side.”

As the tricorder swept the indicated area, Issac tried to do a quick assessment of himself; trying to mentally recount what happened. “Uh, got hit; in back. Landed… badly. On shoulder. Ribs hit… Something. When I fell.” And something must have been ‘knocked loose’ when… I fell. What happened? Ribs hurt again… Damn.

“Are you alright, Issac? I reset the holodeck!” NE Jo’han’s face somehow mixed concern and triumph; combined with his unusually small frame it made for a comical sight. Now, if only Issac’s ribs would stop aching with every breath, maybe he could start laughing…

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

OOC: I’d say the most concerning injury would be a few cracked/broken ribs on Issac’s right side - result of landing rib-first on a rock or root or something. Secondary/minor concerns would be perhaps some cuts on his back from the creature’s claw, and maybe a large bruise forming on his right shoulder. But feel free to introduce further concerns! Issac won’t appreciate it, but he’s in no position to argue right now. :)

From a step behind Jersey, Molly glared at Jo’han. Yes, he had reset the holodeck. Yes, they knew it. Yes, she had lost all the progress she had achieved that night because of ONE–

Molly’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Jersey finally spoke to her.

It took a grand total of three seconds for everything in front of and around her to make crystal clear sense. Jersey’s eyes flashed with contempt and annoyance as them snapped to meet Molly’s. “What… the… actual… frack…!?! What did you do Molly?! Were you jacking around with…” Her eyes glowed bright in realization. “You did… didn’t you?! Jesus Molly! That goddamn program is dangerous! You could have got all three of you killed!”

Was Holloway… scared?

Issac lay quietly where he was; trying to listen and observe the situation carefully. Clearly, this Sgt. Reyes was someone to be on good terms with. And apparently, some of his suspicions had been correct - something about this situation was… well, ‘hinky’ was the best word he could come up with.

The Intel officer gave the Marine a sheepish glance, before saying weakly. “It’s… it’s not what you think, Brianna…” Jersey didn’t know half of it, but she had been the one finding her after her first holodeck incident, so she knew enough. Not to mention, for a highly trained Intelligence officer, Molly made a lousy liar. At least in the current situation. And she was sure that Jersey would be able to see right through her.

Reyes looked like she could emit smoke from her ears as she began to patch the Security JO in front of her. Between the osteo-regenerator and the dermal regenerator, the former Marine Medic had the Ensign at least stabilized and patched up in a couple minutes. The young woman glared at Molly for a moment before turning back to the Ensign. “Al’right hun…” Her tone much more bedside-manner-y, her New Jersey accent unmissable. “… ya’had cracks on ribs Four & Eight along with breaks on Five, Six, and Seven. Four and Eight were nicely patched… but yer gonna need ta see the Chief about the other three. As for the claw marks, I patched them as best I could. Sickbay can help prevent scaring and you appear to have some deep tissue damage on that shoulder. Doc will certainly wanna look at that.” With that, the Medic hit the Ensign with a powerful pain killer. Though it was strong, it would not knock Forgrave out. “Take it easy, OK hun?”

As the painkiller spread through his system, Issac carefully released the tension he had been holding in his chest; with the worst of the pain fading, he started breathing deeper. “Yes Ma’am. Thanks fer patching me up. Heh, hopefully you won’t have ta see much of me uh, in a professional capacity.” With minor assistance from the Sgt., he carefully stood, being sure to avoid using his right side.

Molly’s stomach churned with guilt. Even though she knew that the Marine was doing nothing more than let the Ensign know the injuries he had sustained, Holloway was sure that each of the words leaving Jersey’s mouth was also uttered with the intent of making her feel even more guilty.

Task completed, Jersey’s hand leapt to her CommBadge as she stared down the CIO.

Reyes, CO’s Yeoman

Flashbacks from her previous stay in Sickbay popped into Molly’s mind as the Marine’s hand jumped to her commbadge. And in her head there was no doubt who Jersey was about to call.

“No!” With incredibly fast reflexes, Holloway’s hand grabbed Reyes’s wrist just before it touched the Starfleet insignia on her chest. “Please, Jersey… I can explain!”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Issac could feel the tension between the two women. Turning his head to face NE Jo’han, he gave a genuine smile of thanks to the smaller man. “Jo’han; Thanks for resetting the ‘deck - you did a good job. Now, I hate to ask, but can you go and run a fast diagnostic on the other three decks? Don’t think it’s likely they’re acting up too, but better safe than sorry with this. We’ll be here; just come on back when you finish.”

NE Jo’han looked like he wanted to argue with Forgrave, but after only a brief hesitation he nodded firmly and took off.

With NE Jo’han gone, Issac turned to the intelligence officer with a fierce glare in his eyes. “Ma’am, you’ll have to pardon me for speaking my mind to a superior officer… or maybe you don’t, but I damned well don’t care! I’d fraggin’ love to hear your explanation of events, and a reason as ta why the Sgt. here ain’t got good cause to call anyone she damn well pleases!”

Molly turned to face Forgrave, clearly surprised at his outburst. Her hand forgotten as she listened to the Security officer, but still firmly holding Jersey’s wrist.

Forgrave winced slightly at the end of his tirade - he was nearly shouting, and the extra effort put into his words disagreed with his still-sore ribs; painkillers be damned. But he was furious. What the Hell was going on here? He’d joined Star-Fleet to get away from his father’s pigheadedness (or the aftereffects of it), yet here he was, mired in yet more of it.

Calming down somewhat after his outburst, Issac realized it was less Holloway and more the situation she had created that drove his anger. In a calmer voice, he rephrased his question, with a bit of a concerned tone sneaking into his voice - “Ma’am, what’s going on here? What’s driving you ta spend the night in here, just to create a jungle with monsters in it?”

He was making some guesses and assumptions with his questions, but he had a feeling he was close to the mark.

He paused briefly before continuing. “I ain’t got nothing against ya, but… I need a reason not to take this elsewhere, if that’s what ya want. I need to be convinced ain’t no-one gonna get hurt… Issac glanced at himself before continuing well, again. Guess that includes you.”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Molly let the Ensign speak without uttering a single word. With his last sentence, her expression darkened and her lips curled into a sardonic smile. She opened her mouth to reply, but she didn’t have time to speak.

Jersey didn’t fight the grip the CIO had on her during Forgrave’s outburst… in fact, she kept her wrist perfectly still as she continued to stare down Captain Holloway. Her fingers on the same hand, however, were not so confined. As the Captain focused on the Security Ensign, Reyes confirmed her plan of action.

Suddenly, with a flick of the captured hand’s middle three fingers, Reyes completed the activation of her CommBadge… her eyes defiant in their glare.

=A= Jersey to Harris…=A= Her tone deadpan. =A=… Medical Emergency, Holodeck 3. Please respond. =A=

“No!” The words left her mouth without Molly having time to stop them. She wondered if they had carried through to Cal’s comm.

The response was quick, with the Dresden’s CO coming on the line. =A= Jersey, what’s going on? I’m on my way. What happened?=A=

Jersey snapped her wrist away from Molly’s grasp and turned on her heel as as she stood and walked to the door. =A= Situation is secure but I need your assistance. I’ll meet you at the door. Reyes out.=A= The young Marine then walked to the arch and waited, the disappointment and anger with Molly projecting from her like a starship’s shields.

Glaring at the Marine as she yanked her arm away from her grip, a pained expression settled on the Intelligence Chief’s face as Jersey walked to the door. Molly knew what was about to happen, and she couldn’t believe Reyes had done it.

It was at this point, the previously unarmed Sgt. Reyes flipped the laser scalpel in her right hand. From her spot by the door, the Marine activated the small and dangerous device, a bright 2-inch-long blue light extending from the tip. She glared from across the room, daring the Captain… hell, daring anyone at this point… to make for the door.

The sight of the scalpel didn’t faze Holloway. She had never even intended to make a run for the door. Molly might be reckless, but she wasn’t stupid. And she knew both Jersey and Cal well enough to know better than that.

Turning to Forgrave, she finally spoke. Remorse apparent in her tone. “I am truly sorry about what happened. I never meant for you to get hurt.” She paused. “Or anyone else for that matter. I never intended for anyone to be here but myself, and if I get hurt, it’s my own responsibility.” Taking a breath, she continued. “But I don’t blame you for being angry with the situation. I don’t blame you if you feel like you should report me to Security or take me to the brig. All I can say is, this is not just a ‘jungle with monsters in it’ as you put it. As to what made me spend the night here, I am afraid I am not at liberty to discuss.” As Molly went on, the tone became drier. It was hard to know whether she was telling the truth or deflecting the subject.

“Ma’am, I believe about half of what ya just said.” Issac gave Holloway a hard look. “I recognize your apology. But you’ve spent all yer credit with me already.” Damn, can this woman not speak clearly? I think she’s sincere about bein’ sorry, but only once the big man is on his way. ‘My Responsibility’ my ass… if she gets hurt or killed, who the frack does she think’s gonna pick up her slack?! If we can’t trust our superiors, how can they expect us to be worth a damn?

Molly’s eyes narrowed slightly. More in confusion than anything else. It was clear that she hadn’t expected Forgrave’s reply. “I don’t expect you to have ‘credit’ to spend on me, Ensign. I never actively requested your presence here, I never intended for any of this to happen. And I don’t have to give you satisfactions about what I am or am not doing. My private business is exactly that. Private. The only people that have the right to demand anything of me are the Commanding and Executive officers of this ship, and last time I checked you are not one of them.” There was a fire behind Holloway’s eyes that Forgave hadn’t seen there before. “I have already been very lenient with you and NE Jo’han. Mostly because I care about your and anyone else’s safety on board this ship. You should be grateful for that.”

From Holloway’s tone and glare, it was quite obvious to Forgrave that he had gone too far. Damn… ought ta have just kept my fraggin’ mouth shut. I’m in Starfleet now, not a civilian. Can’t be speaking so freely. Even if I do disagree with her. Does she even recognize that she’s losing the trust of the crew? As he formulated an apology, he felt the heat of anger fading away.
“Yes, Ma’am. I… apologize for my words and my tone; they were not appropriate. I speak out of concern for the crew and the ship; but I let my emotions get the better of me.” Issac paused, unsure if he wanted to say anything else. Frag it; hole’s already half-dug… “Ma’am, if you’d be willin’, I’d like to discuss my concerns over… this in a quieter setting, maybe without the pissin’ contest. I think we’re on the same side here, but damned sure I don’t want ya as an enemy.”

A few moments later the door hissed open and the Dresden’s Commanding Officer stepped into the grid line-lined room. His eyes scanned the room and took in everyone in the area. His eyes went from Forgrave then shifted to Molly before his gaze clouded with anger.

The moment the doors opened, Molly knew this was it. End of line. They hadn’t seen each other outside of the Bridge since the night she had slammed the door to her quarters in his face. Holloway could see the disappointment in his eyes. She knew what he wanted to know, but she also knew what he would do if she ever told him. When Cal’s gaze met hers, Molly looked down. She knew Harris was worried. All she could do was hope that he wasn’t going to send her away to a mental institute in some remote planet until she was ready to deal with life once again.

“Jersey…” Harris began to speak but was cut off by the younger Marine. “Raven… she was running that stupid program again only this time… the Ensign over there got hurt and I had to…” Harris raised a hand and snapped sharply. “Stop!” Then proceeded to Ensign Forgrave. “Young man… tell me exactly what happened from the moment you got down here until my Yeoman arrived?”

Reyes/Harris

Molly could feel her heart pulsing in her ears. Her gaze moving from Forgrave to Harris and back again. She wouldn’t dare to look a Jersey in fear of finding out that telepathy was real when the Marine’s head exploded. Holloway made a mental note to have a chat with the woman. They had been friends. As close of a female friend as she was ever going to get. Well… if she excluded Alison… and even that friendship had ended with a bruise on her right fist and a broken nose on Ali’s face. Molly sighed, wondering for the first time in twenty years whether there was something inherently wrong with her. Her right hand travelled to just below her collar and remained there for a second, pressing against what would seem to be something she wore under her uniform. Closing her eyes, all she wanted was to fade into the background and vanish from the room.

The situation had escalated a bit… quicker and steeper than Forgrave had anticipated. He certainly hadn’t expected to be debriefed by the Dresden’s commanding officer.

“Uh, yes Sir. If you’d be kind enough to uh, give me a moment to gather my thoughts.” Issac closed his eyes while standing in place, mentally organizing the mornings’ events.

When dictating from his memory to Colonel Harris, Issac is deliberately enunciating and speaking clearly, and his otherwise distinct southern accent is a bit less pronounced than what is typical.

Harris awaited the information, though it was clear from the expression on his face that his patience would only last so long.

“First off Sir, NE Jo’han was here as well, ‘till a moment ago. Just prior to the Sargent’s comm call, to be more precise. I sent him to run a diagnostic on the other three holodecks, in case they were having issues as well. Which is frankly unlikely, but… to be honest it was a good reason to send him off to buy myself, Sgt. Reyes, and Captain Holloway here some privacy. To yell at each other, I suppose. I requested that he return here when finished.”

“Around… 0800, I received an intruder alert on my security console. It pinged on Holodeck three; I silenced the alarm and grabbed NE Jo’han to investigate and verify the alert one way or another. I commed the holodeck, and got no response. Computer confirmed the presence of one life-form and one comm-badge present in the holodeck.”

“NE Jo’han and I entered the holodeck, finding a… jungle program running. The computer was not responding to commands to stop the program, and so I moved further into the simulation. Jo’han stayed near the entrance.”

“I began making my way through the area; before too long, I ran, uh, literally ran into, Captain Holloway. She seemed surprised and… concerned. Shortly after, we were attacked. I didn’t recognize the creature, but Holloway did. She advised me that phasers were not very effective, but flashlights were. There was some running; I got hit by behind; that’s when I was injured - I fell badly. I was able to use both my flashlight and phaser on the… beast, and that was enough to have it dismissed by the simulation.”

“After that, we proceeded to a clearing within the simulation. There was a… restaurant booth there, and we sat down. I started asking some questions of Captain Holloway, regarding what happened. I… did not get any clear answers.” Issac shuffled a bit at the last statement, seeming a bit uncomfortable. Eh, wish I had a better way of phrasing that....

“Before too much longer, I suppose the simulation ended. I think we have NE Jo’han to thank for that; but I’m not exactly sure what happened or what he did. I think when it ended, I dropped out of the chair I was in, and hit my ribs again. I think I must have passed out briefly from the pain.” Issac looked uncomfortable at this admission.

“I don’t think I was our for long; when I came to, Holloway and Jo’han were over me. Sgt. Reyes arrived less than a minute later.”

“I uh, suppose that’s what I know about the situation, Sir. I can go further into my conjectures and suspicions; but that’s all they are, Sir. I’m not quite comfortable… freely voicing those. NE Jo’han may have some technical notes to add, if he was able to access the holodeck console. I believe he mentioned that he used to be a technician; but I’m not sure.”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Molly listened in silence to the Security officer’s report. To be fair, she couldn’t have put it better herself.

Almost as a child waiting for a parent’s scolding, Holloway didn’t dare to speak. Like most others, Cal didn’t know the details of her training program, mostly because Molly had deemed he didn’t need to know. She didn’t want to worry him. And yet, here they were.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

The Marine took a slow, staggered breath. It was the tense momentary clinch of his jaw that was the only outward sign of the storm brewing inside the man. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Harris sighed and nodded. “Thank you Ensign. Your report was thorough and helpful.” His tone was flat and it was clear that while he maintained complete control, the man was absolutely livid.

Issac simply nodded in reply. He knew that he’d stretched his neck out more than far enough this morning; no sense in drawing further ire.

“Brianna…” Harris said softly after a moment. “Yes Skipper” Came Reyes’ quick reply. “Would you mind looking after the Ensign while we wrap up here?” The younger Marine quickly came to Forgrave’s side and smiled. “Happily Sir.”

The young woman then spoke to the room. =A= Computer… Standard Issue mobile infantry berth… surface height 75 centimeters.=A= A moment later a green bunk with pillow appeared beside her and he helped Forgrave settle onto it. “Make yourself comfortable hun. When Skip is finished, we’ll head down to Sickbay.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. Painkillers are doin’ their job.” Climbing carefully onto the berth, Issac muttered quietly to the Sgt. “Maybe if I hold my tongue, I’ll get to leave here intact…”

Harris then turned to Holloway like lightening striking the ground, the Marine ordered sharply. “Explain yourself Captain.”

Harris/Reyes

Molly shook her head before momentarily looking at her feet. Looking back up at Cal, she started to speak.

“I couldn’t sleep, Calvin.” There was a defeated tone in her voice. Shaking her head, she continued. “Came down here, hoping to at least tire myself enough to go to bed, but…” She shrugged, pausing momentarily before sighing. “You want to know what happened? Fine.” Her eyes glared at Harris for a moment. “I don’t understand why I was restricted access to the difficulty level I usually run my training routine at. Higher levels, I don’t care. But the one I run it at? I have been using this program since I was an Ensign. Nothing bad has ever happened! I run it with safeties on all the time, and I have never hurt myself or anyone for that matter!” The anger and confusion in Molly’s voice were genuine.

“The other time was an accident!” Holloway shot Jersey a pained look. “Yes, I was in a bad spot. Yes, I took it all the way to maximum difficulty. Yes, I turned the safeties off! But that was then. One time!” The hurt in her eyes was visible when she turned back to Cal. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed once again before continuing. “You really want to know what happened? I messed with it. I tried to bypass the authorization codes.”

“There. I know exactly what’s going to happen if I ask you or medical to lift up my restrictions, so it’s not even worth trying.” She shrugged again. “From then on, I don’t know what happened. The computer started to replicate random stuff. I tried to fix it. Clearly unsuccessfully. According to Ensign Forgrave here, the computer sent out an intruder alert and that’s why him and NE Jo’han showed up. And at some point, I seem to have actually bypassed the codes, and it loaded my program at a way higher level. Probably the same one I was banned from.”

“I swear I didn’t do it on purpose. I don’t know what happened. I never intended for anyone to get hurt. But it doesn’t matter what my motives are.” Molly glared at Cal. “You all come running wondering what is it that I’ve done this time, immediately assuming I stopped caring whether people around me get hurt.”

Turning back to Jersey, the young Marine would see in the Intel Officer’s eyes that she had crossed a line. “And you, Jersey. I expected better of you.” The disappointment in her tone was obvious. “I called you here because I wasn’t sure about what to do. Twice you’ve ignored my request not to bring him in on this.” Holloway pointed vaguely to Cal’s direction. “I know you care about him. I know you care about me. And I know you don’t want to see him get hurt again. Then how about you trust me for a minute, and maybe entertain the possibility that I am not trying to hide things from him because I am scared of being scolded. No. If I ask you not to bring him in on this, is because I know he will worry. He has a whole crew to take care of, and I am just another officer in the middle of it. The Dresden needs to see him as the example. They need to see him at his best. And they won’t be able to if all he does is worrying about things he has no control over. I know, Brianna, because I had my own ship. I know what the crew expected of me. I know how hard it is to keep it together sometimes, and I know that if there were things I didn’t need to know, I would rather not know about them at all. Useless entropy never helped anyone, Jersey. I want to protect him as much as you do.”

Turning back to Harris, Molly took a deep breath. “Now, this is how this is going to be. Mr. Forgrave was hurt under my watch. He is my responsibility to oversee. I will take him to Sickbay. I can go alone, or you can come with. I’d prefer the former, but since neither of you seems to believe what I say, you can choose the latter.”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

As this was happening, NE Jo’han was diligently running a brief diagnostic program on the other three holodecks. He felt concern for the other two officers - Captain Holloway looked… strained. And Forgrave had been injured! He was glad to have been able to reset the holodeck; no telling what might have happened if he wasn’t around. Fortunately, Holloway seemed to have things under control. And Forgrave was alive, and didn’t seem to be too bad off. What an unusual morning it had been!

NE Jo’han carefully read the diagnostic report from holodeck four’s console. Everything was within specifications, but it looked like emitter 36 might be on its final cycle. He made a note of it on the report he had been compiling, and sent it off to Engineering through the console. It would have been easier to do from his PaDD, but that was OK. The Captain clearly needed it; and he was glad to be of help. He gave the console a warm look, fondly remembering his time as a technician; before leaving holodeck four and heading back to holodeck three.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

The door to the holodeck swooshed open, revealing NE Jo’han. As eyes turned to look at the small Security Ensign, he visibly grew nervous. Approaching the small group, he saluted Colonel Harris, before announcing (in a vague direction, Jo’han being unsure who exactly to give his report to) “I’ve uh, run a diagnostic on the other three holodecks and they all appear to be functioning correctly, Uh, Sirs.” His statement done, he stepped back slightly, before moving over to Issac. Glancing at the fellow Ensign, he seemed satisfied that he was going to be OK.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

OOC: Just bumping this to keep it on the boards until Jerome has time to come back to it. – Joana